Long Shot: With 5 seconds lift on the clock, the team is down by 1... Can Laurie make the shot?

A New Town, a New School, a New Team-Can Laurie Emerge a Winner? When eleven-year-old Laurie Bird Preston learns her dad has accepted a job in another town, she's disappointed and angry. Not only will Laurie be leaving her best friend, Christy, and her position on the middle school basketball team, but she'll also have to make new friends in a new school and play for a new basketball team. To complicate matters, her dad's the new girls' basketball coach, and the team is made up of girls who aren't exactly team players or even athletes. But with time, understanding, and help from a quirky kid named Howard, Laurie discovers that being happy in her new home and with her new team might not be such a long shot.